To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes he plans to propose to guidelines on town and village greens to prevent their application to land which already has planning permission for development. (305743)

DEFRA recently received the final report of research into the registration of new town or village greens: “Study of registered town and village greens and the attitudes towards applications”. A summary of the research, together with the final report, is available on the DEFRA website.

The findings of the research, as well as feedback from local authorities and others, lead me to conclude that there is sufficient evidence to justify a review of the existing system, with a view to exploring possible changes. Therefore, DEFRA plans to consult in spring 2010 on whether there is a need for reform of the registration system, and the options for reform that exist.